Bond actress wins case over collapse of sci-fi movie
An actress who described a Hampshirefilmcrewas‘s ***** peasants’ has won her High Court battle with a production company over the collapse of the abandoned sci-fi film.
FormerJamesBondactress EvaGreensuedWhiteLantern Film after A Patriot was abandoned in October 2019, claiming she was entitled to her million-dollar (£810,000) fee for the film despite its cancellation under the terms of their agreement.
However, White Lantern Film and lender SMC Speciality Finance brought a counterclaim against Ms Green, 42, alleging she undermined the independentfilm’sproduction and renounced the contract.
Inajudgmentyesterday,Mr Justice Michael Green ruled in
Ms Green’s favour, ruling she was entitled to the fee, and dismissed the counter-claim.
‘In particular, I find that Ms Greendidnotrenounceherobligationsundertheartistagreement; nor did she commit any repudiatory breaches of it,’ the judge said.
During the trial in London earlier this year, Max Mallin KC, for White Lantern, said Ms
Green had shown a ‘categorical andunequivocalrefusaltoperform’andrepeatedlymade‘unreasonable demands’.
However, Edmund Cullen KC, for Ms Green, said the actress had been subjected to a ‘character assassination’.
During her evidence, Ms Green denied the allegations that she was not prepared to go ahead with the project, saying: ‘Inthe20yearsthatIhavebeen makingfilms,Ihaveneverbroken a contract or even missed onedayofshooting.’Inmessages used in the claim, the court heard that the actress had described potential crew members,whoarefromHampshire, as‘s ***** peasants’,theproduction as a ‘B-s ***** -movie’ and executiveproducerJakeSealas ‘pure vomit’.